I'm suprised that I've never heard this album before (besides blitzkrieg bop). I can hear just how influential this album has been, to the point where I had a hard time believing this was from the 1970's, this album has a sound that's clearly been pervasively influential in punk music. The songs are short, catchy and melodically rich. Depsite being loud and upbeat the lyrics are somewhat somber and sarcastic, perfect for a punk album. I originally went and listened to the 2016 remaster and it sounded really wrong to me, the vocals are loud and upfront, drowning out the instrumentation, feeling completely seperate from it. I next listened to the original mix of the album and found that issue wasn't there. I don't know what they were thinking with the remaster, but if you want to have a good experience, listen to the original mix. Overall, this album is a timeless joy to listen to.
Favorite track: Havana Affair
Least favorite track: I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
Wasn't the biggest fan if this album, which is surprising given that funk is one of my favorite genres. Many of these melodies sounded uninspired, the songs were repetitive and there's really nothing here that distinguishes this album from many other funk albums. There were some gems though, I absolutely loved "somebody's watching you" which reminded me of Frank Zappa in its zany vocal delivery and experimental instrumentation, I just wish the rest of the album was like that. The songs weren't bad necessarily, they were just forgettable.
This is probably THE quintessential 80's new wave album, only to be rivaled by "Songs From the Big Chair". The synths are fresh, the bass is bombastic, the guitar riffs are energetic, everything comes together to create perfectly crafted songs. Admittedly I never listen to the lyrics of these songs because the music itself commands so much attention. These songs inspire so much joy, they're effortless to listen to, and there's not much more to say other than that I love every song on this album.
Favorite track: I honestly can't choose
Least favorite track: none
This album makes me sad, there's some great, no amazing, melodies here and some really interesting ideas....but the execution is god-awful. I hate the lead singer's voice, I hate it with a passion. The man sounds like if Spongebob was doing a Kurt Cobain impersonation. It honestly hurts to listen to, it haunts my dreams, it's my waking nightmare. I don't know if I will ever find the words to properly describe my hatred of this man's singing. There's some beautiful songs here, but the fact that they're ruined so much makes this album even sadder to listen to. When I heard the opening lines of the first song my immediate freudean thought was "butt-rock" the singer sounds like he belongs in a shitty 3 doors down cover band. Overall I'm giving it 2 stars because the melodies are actually really good and the song progression and composition is interesting.
How many times have I listened to this album in my life? Too many to count. I love this album, and I am convinced that this is the greatest disco/funk album ever made. How can something sound so 70's but at the same time be so timeless? Everyone who listens to this, no matter who, when or where will be grooving to this album, it's energy is infectious. The synths, the bass, the vocal delivery of MJ and lyrical composition is top notch. The songs are all the perfect length that don't overstay their welcome, which is something that disco and funk usually have a problem with. Every song on this album is iconic, along with the album art. This album feels like its at the crossroads between MJ's child career and future adult career that we all know and love, blending the best of each. This is my personal favorite Michael Jackson album, it may not have the more iconic hits that people think of when they think of MJ, but it makes me happy, its such a pure joy to listen to.
Favorite track: Rock With You
Least Favorite Track: She's Out of My Life
I really love this album. It has a warm, indie feel that creates a peaceful and whimsical atmosphere. The melodies are beautiful, reminiscent of Nick Drake, but with a surprisingly modern feeling. The vocal delivery is smooth and satisfying, the lyrics are fun and interesting, the musical performance is breath-taking. Before today, I haven't even heard of this band, but now I am definitely going to be going back to this album. These songs have such satisfying progression, it honestly gave me goosebumps. As far as new albums go, this is my favorite I've heard in a long time.
Favorite track: If you're feeling sinister
Least Favorite track: Mayfly
Another new wave album! Unfortunately not my favorite new wave band, but they still have a lot to offer musically. I like the glam, weird and unconventional approach to these songs, it feels kind of wild (which suits the album title perfectly). The songs do get a bit repetitive though, and I found myself zoning out about halfway through each song. This album is decent and has good ideas, but I would definitely say its not the best of the new wave genre. I honestly don't have much more to say about it.
Favorite track: Kings of the Wild Frontier
Least Favorite Track: Feed me to the Lions
So, I'll admit it, I've never listened to a rolling stones album before. For my first time, I have to say that I really enjoy this album! I love how bluesy this album is, but in a hard-rock kind of way. It sounds so rough and abrasive, it really makes me realize why its called "rock and roll". It makes me feel like I'm on the road, in a freeing sense. I can clearly hear how much this album has been influenced by previous works, but perfected it, which explains why this album holds up so well againts modern bands that have clearly been inspired by the rolling stones. As far as blues-inspired rock goes, this is the best that I've ever heard. Also, I want to point out that there is no Stuart in this band, but there is an Ian Stewart which maybe counts towards our Stuart marathon.
David Bowie strikes again! Going back to the early 70's era of Bowie is always a treat. This album seems to be his first venture into the more bluesy American style that was prevalent in his next few albums. But what makes this album triumph againts the likes of Young Americans and Pin-ups is the perfect balance it strikes between experimental and accessible, earning it a place in the big three albums of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust days. Unfortunately, this album is the Larry Hemsworth of the Ziggy albums. Sure it's good, but Diamond Dogs and Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust are the more attractive brothers. There are definitely less iconic Bowie songs from this album, but the songs here are all really solid and work together to create a great album. Bowie's vocal performance on this album is top-notch, probably one of his best. It was much less put-on and showey, more natural but still retaining that iconic glamorous feeling. My verdict of this album is that it's totally worth listening to if you're a Bowie fan, but if you want to get into Bowie then go for Diamond Dogs, which perfects the same musical ideas presented in this album, with catchier and more thematically interesting songs.
Favorite track: Time
Least Favorite: The Jean Genie
I halfway expected this album to be various jazz covers of Toto's Africa given the title and cover art, honestly I probably would have liked that better than what I got. This is a pretty sub-standard british new-wave album. It's very uninspired. I really don't have much to say about this album. Its pretty boring and quicky faded to the background. I didn't find any qualities that would lift this album above any others.
This album suprised me. I almost didn't expect to like it given the god-awful album art, but I can't judge a book by it's cover. This album is musically rich and intriguing. Right off the bat I got flaming lips vibes, which is good because I love the flaming lips. The artsy-grunge type songs were great, but I wish there were more jazzy songs like "Susans House" with its spoken word sections and beautiful piano and bass instrumentation. Sometimes the lyrics were a bit edgy, but not in the cool "rage againts the machine" way, but in the cringy "middle school kid that was bullied for wearing an anime t-shirt" kind of way. The lyrics make me think of someone who heard Radiohead's "Creep" and was like "damn, I could make a whole album like this". These lyrics seem like they'd be memorized by Jared Leto's Joker. Even so, this album had some beautiful and freaky baroque-grung songs that really impressed me, especially in the last half of the album. I'll definitely be listening to it again.
Favorite track: Guest List - although this is tied with "Mental", purely for the amazing synth solo at the end. -
Least Favorite: Rags to Rags
This is a really classic sounding album! The vocal performances are amazing, very heartfelt and emotional, I love the way they harmonize together. I can't really say much more about this album other than this is a classic jam thats fun to listen to but doesn't offer much artistically.
I think this an amazing album. It was much more big band and swing than I expected, but maintained that classic afro-cuban percussion. I hope we have some more jazz albums in the future because it was a great change in pace from the rock albums. This album was fun and bombasitc. I can't think of any song I didn't like, they were all unique in their own way but thematically consistent with the rest of the album. i will definitely be listening to this one again in the future.
Wow, another David Bowie album.....wait this isn't Bowie? But seriously, this album sounds like something Bowie would make, so that means its pretty good, even if it is somewhat derivative of all the art-rock staples, for example, I also heard a lot of velvet underground in this album. I like the non-linear song progressions, the zany vocal performances are pretty captivating, but I wish there was more melodic-meat to the tunes. The experimental songs with longer run times were my favorites because there were some very satisfying build-ups and break-downs. This album felt a lot longer than it was, because there's something very dense about these songs, it makes a 4 minute song seem like 10 minutes, and a 10 minute song feel like 30 minutes. Overall, it was solid but I was left wanting something a little bit more in terms of the melodies, nothing really hooked me but it still commanded my attention because it was interesting conceptually.
Favorite track - The Bogus Man - Least Favorite Track: none
Wow, what an album. I was immediately hooked from the beginning with the slow build up in Dirge, to such satisfying guitar and synth instrumentation. I honestly was not expecting an electronic album, but its a nice change of pace. Every song progresses in such a satisfying way. I love the use of rock instruments on top of the synths, giving it a grungier feeling, reminiscent of Massive Attack or Gorillaz, and even Black Moth Super Rainbow on the song Luther's Funk. Some of these songs are much more abrasive and hard for what I'd expect from a 90's electronic album, it had a very modern feeling. I love all the songs on this album, but the stand out for me is Aisha. I love Iggy Pop's spoken-word vocals on this song, mixed with the guitars and synth solos, it's just so captivating. I really don't have any complaints about this album at all. The songs were all different enough to where it didn't feel repetitive, but still felt like a consitent album. Every track was a unique experience and my expectations were always shattered each time, there were so many intricate progressions and twists that kept me on my toes. There's a lot of songs on this album that I'll be saving to my playlist, I'm excited to listen to it again.
Favorite track: Aisha, Dirge, Luther's Funk, Lever Street -
Least Favorite track: none
What a beautiful album. Again, this is another album I haven't heard before, but I am so glad that I've been able to experience it now. Joni Mitchell's voice is superb, right off the bat I was blown away by her performance and lyricism. The soft piano ballads and jazzy pop tunes are perfectly crafted and emotionally moving. I listened to this album twice, which is something I hadn't done with the previous albums. The song structures remind me of Joanna Newsome, but I think Mitchell does it much better. I felt connected to each story told in the songs, and the way they flowed together made the whole experience engrossing.
Favorite track: all of them
Least favorite track: none
Writing this review last minute so it'll be a shorter one. This album has some serious classics on it! There's many songs I've heard on this before but I never knew it was this band. These songs are much more traditional and folky than our previous venture into the afro-cuban msuic scene, so this was a unique experience. This is a solid album with a lot of cuban "bangers" that create a nice and pleasant atmosphere, while expertly executed, left me wanting more artistically. But overall, I had a great time listening to it.
Before I get into my review, is that Hector Salamanca in the music video for "Your New Cuckoo"? I was genuinely suprised when I heard the funky bass line and dance drums at the beginning of this album, I was not expecting it, given the album cover, then I realized that this is the band that made "Lovefool" (which is a fantastic song) so the funky vibes started to make sense. The vocals on this album remind me so much of Mars Argo, and both bands even have the same kind of baroque quirkiness to them. I love the unconventional instruments used in these songs, ones that weren't too popular in the 90's rock albums like strings, flutes, trumpet, even the theremin. The melodies on this album are very modern sounding, I had to go and double check the year this album was released because it sounds very 2010's, especially the iron man cover. I really enjoyed how funky and jazzy this album got while maintaining an overall indie-rock kind of feeling. I wish the album was longer because I would have liked to hear some more of these ideas fleshed-out, but I love what we got. This is going onto the list of albums I need to re-listen to.
Favorite track: Your New Cuckoo -
Least favorite track: Losers
This is another case in which I was very suprised by the first track, given the album art. I was expecting punk or hip hop, not an african-inspired ambient piece. The second track definitely met my expectations more. I know this was the early 80's but I found it a bit boring, maybe because I'm looking at it from a modern lens, knowing the full extent of what hip-hop has to offer. I will say that I love the funky bass lines on this song. The third song goes back to afro-cuban type music, maybe even carribean, which I found much more enjoyable, it was such a care-free and happy song, although I didn't enjoy the choir too much, it almost verged on gospil, which I can rarely tolerate. The next real track is much more latin-american sounding which was alright, but following buena vista social club so recently, left me underwhelmed, but I loved the strings on this song. Punk it up is the next song, right off the bat it sounds like something I would hear on a vampire weekend album in terms of the guitar and bass, but with traditional afro-cuban percussion and vocals. The track after this sounds like something froma tears for fears B-side, so a little forgettable. Jive my baby goes back to the previous styles, I like the whispering vocals and the overall range of vocals here. This is probably my favorite world-music type track on the album, it sounds like such a traditional jam, but with some interesting experimental ideas. Song for chango is probably the most traditional sounding song on here, its really cool, especially with the ambient breakdown. Soweto is folky sounding, but I wasn't s big fan of the vocals, and it was somewhat repetitive. World's Famous is so cool! I love the bass and piano. The rapping is great and it really works with the beat and instrumentals. I really wish this was longer because it was probably my favorite track, but painfully short. The last song really just sticks out like a sore thumb, its not at all thematically consistent with the rest of the album, and kind of a bad way to end the album. Overall I would say there's some really forward-thinking and ideas that were very ahead of their time, and in it's time this was absolutely boundary pushing, but these days it doesnt really do much for me. I enjoyed it for the most part though, there was a clear love and respect for the music that inspired this album.
I love this album, this is not my first time hearing it, so it's great to revisit it. Frank Sinatra's voice fits bossa nova so perfectly, so I am so grateful that this album even exists. Right from the start we get a classic. This isn't as good as the Gilberto version, but the guitar and horn section of this song give it a much grander feeling. Every song is so smooth, I got a nostalgic and emotional response from so many of these tracks, there's just something about them that hits me. I love the reworks of the American songs into bossa nova style, it works so well that I have a hard time imagining them as anything else. The synergy that Sinatra and Jobim have on these songs is astounding. I can just imagine them in the studio, cigarette smoke in the air, joking around in a manner that reflects the light and relaxed nature of the music. This is probably the smoothest and softest that I, and many others, have heard Sinatra, especially at the time in his career that this was released, I think it was a brave venture for him. I belive this album was very important for getting bossa nova into the American mainstream. I just want to reiterate that I love this album, and I could listen to it over and over again.
Favorite Track: Baubles Bangles and Beads
I don't think a more intimate, tragic and emotional album has ever been recorded. Nick Drake takes us deep into his mind, as implied by the album art, it's dark, full of dichotomies and internal struggles. We experience his memories, desires, and self-hatred. The mixing of this album give the feeling of closeness, a similar feeling to as if you were in the room with him. His voice is mixed in a way that it sounds close and personal, the guitar perfectly balances this, and we have nothing else in these songs to get between you and Nick Drake. Despite the music being raw and simple in concept, the implementation is masterful. The melodies are gorgeous and they hit you like a truck, no gimmicks needed, this is accomplished purely by powerful songs played on a guitar. Throughout this abum we walk on a tightrope of strength and fragileness, volitility and apathy, love and hate, a picture of beauty painted by a true artist.
Favorite track: Place to Be
When I think of 60's rock, I think of music just like this. This album must have had a profound influence on the rock counter-culture scene then, but there's something profoundly darker in this album than their generational counterparts. I've actually read the book that this band based their name on, and I can totally see the influence in it's psychedelic nature. I love the organs on the songs, its just so groovy and classic sounding. Morrison's vocal performance is fantastic, the guitars are good but mixed a little low, there's nothing too special to say about the drums or bass, the vocals and organ really carried most of the songs. I don't think this type of sound has aged too well though, it's good but it sounds so terribly dated. Maybe that gives it novelty, being a unique product of the times, and thankfully the Doors did this type of music very well. I will also admit that some of these songs didn't flow together well at all (like alabama song). But on a positive note, the organ solo on light my fire is one of the greatest things I've ever heard though. Overall, I liked this album a lot, but I had some problems with it, so I'll rank it a 3.5/5.
Favorite song: Light My Fire -
Least Favorite: Alabama Song
Wow, what are the odds of another Nick Drake album on a list that's 1001 albums long? A quick calculation shows 0.0001%. I'm glad we got this album because it gives us more context for Nick Drake. It's suprising that this was released before pink moon, because what I've seen common among other artists is an early album that is personal, rough around the edges, musically simple and raw, but they later dive into more musically complex ideas as they get more resources and confidence. It seems like Nick Drake did the opposite. It just goes to show how brave he was to go from something more musically complex like this album to something so simple. I know I should just be judging this album by itself, but for me it really just highlighted why I love Pink Moon so much. This album was much more musically dense than his later works, and it's really impressive, but lacked the emotional vulnerability that makes his other work so special. Although some of the melodies were lacking on this album, there were some real gems here that I loved. Nick Drake's singing style works very well with the somber and folky songs on this project. The instrumentation is executed fantastically and overall, I loved almost every song (but there were some tracks that lacked impact). This was a solid project that was enjoyable to listen to, but it didn't blow me away as much as I know Nick Drake is capable of.
Favorite Track: River Man
I'm very sad that I haven't heard about this album until now. I'm getting pretty strong smiths vibes and kapput-era Destroyer (which is my favorite album of all time, so I'm pretty happy about this). The guitars are so crisp on this album, really kind of fresh and refreshing sounding. The melodies are absolute jams, that sometimes go in strange directions that I didn't expect at all, so I was kept on my toes. I feel like bands like War on Drugs and other modern synth rock/pop really encapsulate this same sound, but I found that this album was surprisingly more forward thinking, experimental and interesting than modern synthpop. There's something so smooth about these songs that make them extremely listenable despite throwing in experimental-isms throughout the album. This is definitely going on my "listen again" list.
Wrote this review late. This album was prettt standard, definitely not bad but it didn't really stand out. The first track is a masterpiece though.
I like the Beastie Boys, but this is definitely not their best album. There's some bangers here of course, like Sabatoge but there's quite a bit of filler on this album that didn't add anything. The sound is definitely dated, but there is still some novelty to it. Overall its pretty average, I know the Beastie Boys can do better.
This is the definition of a classic! What a flawless album from side A to side B. But that's to be expected with such a rockstar cast of performers. Everything is just solid. The songs are all jams, they transport me to a rainy city, a sunny island, a dream world. No trumpet has ever sounded as good as when Miles Davis plays on this album, it has such a rich and gorgeous sound that feels almost transcendent. I can't think of anything else to say, it's hard to put into words how amazing this album is, and how much of a joy it is to listen to.
Favorite track: Blue in Green
This album really didn't do much for me, it's safe to say I was not entertained. It's one of many of those early 80's punk albums, except this one had almost nothing interesting to offer. The mixing is flat and bland and the songs are all forgettable, but I will say that I liked the bass, it was the only thing that stuck out. The songs are all so samey sounding that the whole album just started to blur together, with nothing really distinct happening. The shrill guitar, the distant british vocals, the treble-heavy drums, it was all the same in every song. The album art is almost as bland as these songs too, so at least they're honest. I think I'm going to go listen to Talking Heads now.
This album sounded really neat! I really enjoyed the orchestral and theatrical sound to these songs. Scott Walker's voice was so deep and commanding and the lyrics were fun and enthralling. It sounds kind of dated and cheesy, but I liked it for some reason, it gave this album a charm. It didn't really blow me away entirely, but I did really enjoy it and would definitely listen again.
Here we go! For a while now this has been one of my top 10 my favorite albums of all time, so naturally it's an absolute joy to listen to again. This album is a masterpiece through and through. So many musical styles and themes are explored and crafted into fun and interesting songs. This album starts out very theatrical, which drives the theme of a fictional story in a sci-fi world based on Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis', with social issues mirroring the ones we face in our world. In Janelle Monae's world, the android fighting for it's freedom is her as a black woman navigating a similarly hostile environment. The vocal and musical range that Janelle Monae traverses in this album highlights just how talented she is. We see art-pop, R&B rock, punk, jazz, hip-hop, folk, and a series of amazing features that give each song such a distinct life of it's own, while still contributing to the narrative of the story. Despite how different each song feels, the songs flow together so well, with the same musical motifs revisited in new ways. Overall, I love this album and I'm glad it exists. It's an important album that both encapsulates the struggles of a black woman but at the same time shows her strength, and overwhelmingly impressive talent through good music and good story telling.
This should be the last album on the list, because it made me want to die.
I was so excited to listen to talking heads, but my excitement quickly turned to disappointment. This is one of the talking heads albums I haven't heard, and I don't think I was missing much, compared to their other work, this is pretty boring. There's actually something very annoying and repetitive about these songs, it was kind of hard to listen to. This album just really didn't have anything that made their later work so great. I could see that they had some interesting ideas but it was seriously just so boring. I respect the band and I know they're capable of better, so maybe I'm just being extra harsh on this. I'm gonna go listen to remain in light.
This was so boring, I have literally nothing to say. Was it bad? No. Was it good? No. It's like we didn't even have an album today. We've had a lot of stinkers recently, so I hope tomorrow is better.
For some reason this album really makes me laugh. I want to hate it but I really just can't, its as fun as it is stupid. I wouldn't necessarily call this butt-rock since its just a slight peg up, making this taint-rock. The first song and "get on top" really reminds me of this https://youtu.be/LYjqm9HIGtQ. This album feels like how the band members look, greasy, kind of overtly sexual in a gross kind of way. Maybe I can't shake the fact that this music was made by pedophiles and rapists but I don't feel clean listening to it, even though the music really is pretty fun and kind of hilarious. I did get really tired of the singing after about halfway through the album though, he really does sound the exact same on almost every song. But the album picks up again in the last bit with some unique songs. Still, part of me can't totally get into these songs because they almost sound like a parody of something else with how played-up and samey they are. Overall, the album was good but there are a lot of things that put me off.
Favorite track: Right on Time
Least Favorite track: Otherside
Its tragic that this is the only album we ever got from Buckley, but what an album it is. Right off the bat, we have a song where Buckley's voice transforms from a whisper to a yell, it fades and swells throughout the song, something that is characteristically done throughout the album in a powerful way. The progression is superb on every song. A sense of importance is created for certain elements of the songs by his generous use of give-and-take. We become aware of almost every musical component by it's inevitable absense, almost a dark metaphor for Buckley himself. Instruments are used to add power to his already so powerful voice. It's so full of emotion, and much more somber than you would expect if you only ever heard his cover of 'Hallelujah'. Something about this album reminds me of early Radiohead, except Jeff seems to have a more straightforward direction with his songs. The album art is inconic, it shows us how central Buckley's voice is to these songs, and perfectly captures a feeling of sadness or darkness, which is reflected in the tracks. Overall, this is such an iconic and beautiful album with some serious jams on it. It makes me think of all the talented individuals taken before their time, who may not have had a chance to give us amazing art that could be timelessly enjoyed.
Favorite song: mojo pin
Least favorite song: lost highway
Admittedly, I actually listened to this album 2 days ago, so this is great timing! I love this album, I think it's one of the most melodically rich and textured new wave albums out there. The synths here are so full and heavy, they're layered perfectly with the guitars and drums that give each song a meaningful impact. Everything here sounds like it would work well in a film soundtrack. I feel like the way the vocals are layered into the songs was a precursor to shoegaze, the way they melt into the songs make them sound so dreamy. The lyrics match the melodic, pretty, romantic and emotional melodies. I guess part of the reason I can see these songs being in movies is that they're crafted as these kind of sentimental beautiful romantic stories. Overall I love the rawness, the layers upon layers of melodic components and overall great feelings this album inspires. I just want to end this review by saying 'Lovesong' is one of the greatest songs ever created.
I'm so sorry Andrew.
I listen to this album and think "Oh I should be liking this" but for some reason I don't. It makes me feel empty inside because I don't think I felt anything listening to this. The ideas are good, and if someone were to describe this music, I would probably be interested in listening to it. But for some reason I can't get into it at all. Overall, I'd give this album 3.5 inches / 9
I knew I was going to love this album just based off the first bass-line. The introduction of the synths and strings hit like a truck, and the lyricism right out of the gate showed that this was going to be a mind-blowing experience. I love how this album has classic Kanye all over it, it gives me so much joy to hear that unique production style, given that I haven't heard this album before, I feel like this is the closest I can get to what a Kanye "revival" would feel like. I know it's cliche, but I do miss the old Kanye. Common's voice is so commanding on each song, his flow is like syrup, slow and heavy but it packs a punch. The story telling and poetry on this album is astounding. I love so much about this album and it makes me reminiscent of a by-gone era in hip-hop, probably one of the best ones in terms of mixing intelligent lyrics with catchy and bombastic production.
⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️
⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️
🥴🌊🌊😃 🌊🌊🌊 😏🌊
🌊🌊🌊🌊😐🌊🌊🌊 🌊
🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
I feel really bad for this, but it's just boring.
